Big increase in trainee officer injuries
January 12, 2012
Posted by:Philippa Tuckman
A Freedom of Information Act request by the Daily Mirror has revealed a seven-fold increase in training injuries at Sandhurst. This is in part explained by an increase in recruitment – more trainees, more injuries – but mainly, according to the MoD spokesman quoted, to an intensification of the training to reflect the reality on the ground in Afghanistan. Now, I agree that Afghanistan is dangerous, hard work. I’m shocked, though, that the MoD is so relaxed about injuries in training before you even get to Helmand. These included broken bones, of course, but also heat stroke and cold injuries.
Outsiders, and even some soldiers, will say that the danger of injury is just part of what you sign up for when you join the Forces. It’s true that, every so often, someone will break a leg in training and it will be a complete accident. It may just be a lucky escape for someone who would otherwise not have been up to the mark in combat, and would have been killed or put others in danger.
But the art of designing a training exercise has to be to avoid unnecessary injury. For example, heat and cold injuries simply should not happen – not in training, and not on operations. They are entirely preventable, and there are pages of JSP that say this and explain how to avoid them. It’s about equipment and drill, and it can be and is done.
These injuries are serious. They can end a promising career and waste a badly-needed soldier. They also can – and should - give rise to a military compensation claim.